


Bright as Sunrise

by glasscamellias



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: ? - Freeform, Caretaking, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Light Angst, Meet-Cute, Slight Canon Divergence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-15 19:22:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18675901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glasscamellias/pseuds/glasscamellias
Summary: Luna's escape from the wreckage of Insomnia is a painful struggle, but it becomes a little easier with some help from a beautiful, kind stranger.(Cindy realizes the Oracle is just as pretty and sweet as the photos and interviews said.)





	Bright as Sunrise

The figure wandering around at the border of the lights wasn’t an imp, she could tell that first off. Too tall, moving too timid to possibly be the dumbest kind of daemon around, the ones that seemed sure that _they_ would be the ones to survive the light. Almost always they smoked away to nothing before someone could finish them off with a shotgun.

Cindy hadn’t meant to be up so late, not with a mile long backlog of repairs to do, but one of the hunters had come in for a bite at the diner. So when a pretty, muscled hunter lady started asking around if the store sold radios to replace her broken one, _of course_ Cindy offered to have a go at repairing it. But the hunter was only staying one night in Hammerhead before heading back to her outpost base, so if Cindy wanted it done, it’d have to be now.

Seemed like the biggest problem was a heap of desert dust in the works, but she was giving it a full inspection anyway. She wouldn’t half-ass a job, not on her honor as a mechanic, even if it would’ve meant seeing her a second time if it broke again. Wouldn’t be right to drag a monster-killing hero away from her duty, no matter how pretty those brown eyes were when they squinted from smiling.

She had been reaching for a screwdriver to start putting it all back together, when she’d seen that person out of her window. Maybe it was some tourist from Lestallum that didn’t get why nighttime was so dangerous, them with their fancy high-powered lights. Yeah, they were technically in the circle of light, and most daemons didn’t get that close, but there were the imps, ready to grab at someone’s ankle and drag them away, and sabertusks that didn’t care if somewhere was bright or not.

Whoever it was, she needed to go let them know. Cindy pulled a sweatshirt on as she headed for the door; Hammerhead could get chilly at night, which made the person seem stranger. Why not hole up in the diner or rent a caravan, instead of walking around in the windy night?

Her slippers barely scuffed against the pavement as she circled the garage and towards the person. She wasn’t trying to be quiet, but just as she opened her mouth to holler out to them, the person turned towards her and jumped in surprise.

The thin shawl over her hair wasn’t enough to disguise Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, Princess of Tenebrae, Oracle of the Gods, now staring walleyed at Cindy.

She had heard the news, same as everyone else: Insomnia in ruins, the prince and princess both dead. But, then again, Prince Noctis was fine, so seeing Princess Lunafreya alive was a miracle but not as surprising as it could’ve been.

When Cindy opened her mouth to say something, probably happy nonsense, the oracle lurched forward, putting a hand over it. She could feel scabs against her lips, which was a damn tragedy. Looking over her, the rest of Lunafreya was as banged up, if not worse. Knees scraped, skin dirty and scratched up, pretty dress all torn. Glancing down, Cindy was sure those nice heels had covered her in blisters. Had she _walked_ all the way from Insomnia? And either she had done the whole trip baking in the sun, or she had risked everything to keep walking through the night. Either way sounded awful.

“Please, be quiet,” she said in a hoarse whisper. “I don’t want news to get out of my survival, not yet. If I remove my hand, will you whisper?”

Cindy nodded wildly. The oracle was alive! She had felt so bad for poor Prince Noctis, thinking his fiancée had died. Had felt so bad for _everyone,_ to be honest. The world would’ve been a darker place without her going out and healing people.

Lunafreya finally let go of her. With the joy spreading in her chest, she couldn’t think of what to ask first, so she stayed practical. “Let’s getcha a little farther from the edges. The imps get brave sometimes, you don’t wanna stand so close.” When she frowned, about to argue, Cindy rushed to explain. “Nobody’s gonna notice if ya get a few feet in. It’d be a damned shame if somethin’ bit your foot off after you escaped this far.”

Maybe it was a little harsh, but it did urge the princess closer to the garage. She was shivering, and it wasn’t right to keep her standing out here. “I’d tell ya to rent a caravan, but...” Cindy glanced over, but no one had canceled their rental to go driving off at night. “They’re all full-up. You really should get inside, though.” And, now remembering her manners: “I’m Cindy, by the way. Cindy Aurum. Ain’t under the best circumstances, but welcome to Hammerhead, Lady Lunafreya.”

Her eyes skimmed over the diner, but it didn’t take long for Lunafreya to strike it off her list of options. Considering how they had the radio on constantly and it was a 24/7 memorial for Lady Lunafreya, the gig would be up immediately. She looked back to Cindy and seemed to decide. “Just Lunafreya, Miss Cindy. I don’t need the formality right now.”

“Then no need to call me Miss,” Cindy said. “If you want somewhere to stay for the night, you can stay at the garage. Ain’t much, but it’s warm, and we got a couch. Gotta be quiet, though. Paw-paw won’t report you to the Empire or nothing, but he won’t be happy if I’ve got unannounced visitors.”

Especially royal ones. Working for a prince was one thing, so long as they got a good price, but letting a princess freeload? Even after the awful things that happened in Insomnia, she was sure he’d be peeved. If she woke up before him, she could sneak Lunafreya out, and he wouldn’t know the difference. The poor Oracle had been through enough without having to sit in the middle of a family shouting match.

Though Cid was probably still asleep upstairs, she tiptoed in, only turning on a lamp. “How ‘bout you sit down, get off your feet for a while. I’ll go get you somethin’ to eat, alright?”

Lunafreya sat carefully, and all the energy went out of her, like she was now letting herself be tired out. Her chin nearly hit her chest, shoulders slumped, and her ‘thank you’ couldn’t be quieter. Messing around in the kitchen would definitely wake Cid, but what was the point of an all-night diner if you never used it? With one last look at Lunafreya, she headed next door. The Oracle had gotten this far, so a few minutes alone couldn’t hurt, but it was hard not to worry. She'd been right in the middle of the attack, hadn’t she?

She didn’t know what they ate in Tenebrae. Most of Takka’s offerings were too spicy for a princess’s mouth—no use _hurting_ her trying to get her belly full. Cindy settled on Takka’s signature sandwich, fidgeting the whole while as Takka cooked it up.

“What’s the rush?” he asked, an eyebrow raised as far as it could go as he wrapped it in paper. She had already counted the gil out, nothing to do with her hands now. “I never see you this antsy, Miss Cindy.”

She forced a giggle and tried not to wince at how fake it sounded. “Work never ends, y’know? Gotta stay strong to keep workin’ into the night.” It was hardly the first time she had poked into the diner late, and Takka slept about as much as she did, so it was pretty common to have a midnight (or 1am...) chili or sandwich in between oil changes.

It took all of her will to not sprint out of the diner, feeling Takka’s eyes on her back through the windows. Still, she hurried the short distance back to the garage. Right outside the door, she realized she should’ve ordered a drink too, because their fridge was full of cheap sodas and beer, nothing princess- or oracle-worthy, but that thought vanished when she walked in.

Lunafreya was still there, which she had worried about, thinking maybe she’d duck out and into the night again when Cindy turned her back. And there wasn’t really anywhere else to hide on the tiny spit of land that was Hammerhead—sure, avoiding the Empire was all well and good, but she wasn’t fit to be fighting daemons.

With the overhead lights of the garage on, she looked prettier and more banged up than before. It made Cindy’s heart hurt, seeing the spots of blood on her white clothes. She was trying to untangle her hair with her fingers, which had started out as a braided updo thing but now was a huge mess.

Lunafreya wasn’t alone. Sitting across from her on an unsteady stool, Cid looked up at Cindy with an unidentifiable expression. Cindy had the urge to back up and go hide with Takka, like she was a scrappy teenager who had been caught sneaking in after a night of drinking. It’d been a long time since she had felt like his grandkid more than his business partner.

“I can explain—” Cindy said but trailed off, resisting the urge to hide the bag behind her legs. The princess needed it, and maybe she could get a few bites in before Cid tried to throw her out. Approaching cautiously, she handed the bag to Lunafreya. Any worries she’d had about it not being good enough were tossed out when she shredded the wrapping and took an unladylike bite, cheeks bulging with it. When was the last time she ate?

Embarrassment soon left her cherry red, and she ducked her head as she chewed. “I appreciate this so much, Cindy,” Lunafreya breathed, and took a much smaller bite, though it must have hurt like hell to hold back. If the spices bothered her, she didn’t complain.

Couldn’t stall for much longer, not with Cid looking at her like that. “I couldn’t leave her out there, Paw-paw. She’s so banged up, wouldn’t be right—”

Cid held up a hand. “Ya really think I’m gonna toss a young lady out like that? Yer lucky I’m too tired to be disappointed. Like I already told miss Lunafreya here, she’s alright to stay here tonight. Too cold to be stayin’ outside, too dangerous to start walkin' now.” He stood, joints cracking loudly. “Don’t stand around gaping, go get the first aid kit.”

She thought, when he left the room, that he was washing his hands of it, but Cid came back with a thick quilt, wrapping it around Lunafreya’s shoulders and left muttering about preparing the couch for her. She had been absorbed in her sandwich, and it made her squeak, startled before she realized what it was. To Cindy’s horror, her eyes filled with tears. Either Cid didn’t notice, or he wanted to give her privacy, because he left the room.

“I cannot express how deeply I appreciate your kindness, both of you,” Lunafreya murmured, and Cindy grabbed for the tissue box before she could get it in her head to rub her eyes with pepper-stained hands.

“Don’t cry hon, ain’t nothin’ special, only common decency,” Cindy said, before her words caught up to her. “Uh, I mean, Your Highness. Gosh, I’m sorry, it slipped out. I don’t mean no disrespect, honest.”

“I take no offense to it,” Lunafreya said. “It’s very sweet. And I have not been called _Your_ _Highness_ in a very long time. I’m hardly a princess anymore, to be fair.”

“Aw, Lady Lunafreya, you’ve always been a princess to me.” Cindy had the feeling she was blushing, and she dipped her head to look at the scattered first aid stuff. It was nothing fancy, but mechanics did get gashed up a lot, so they were prepared. In the light, those feet looked worse off than she hoped. Figures the Empire wouldn’t give their captured princess a pair of sneakers, to keep her from running away. Doing it anyway had left her covered in oozing blisters and scrapes.

The rest of her needed help too, but the feet came first. “Real sorry ‘bout this, but we gotta fix these up. It’s gonna hurt, but it’ll get infected if I don’t.”

“I have no objections. I’ll try not to move too much and disturb your work.” Cindy noticed her setting the remains of her sandwich down. Probably for the best, so she wouldn’t choke from the pain. “Especially since I’ll be walking again in the morning.”

“What? No, no way I’d let you do that. We got cars for rental, might as well take one. Less likely to get caught on wheels than on foot.”

“I’ve never learned to drive,” Lunafreya said, glancing away like she was embarrassed. “And being chauffeured only gives you the barest understanding of it.” To Cindy, who had started learning before she was old enough to reach the pedals and see where she was going at the same time, it was downright crazy.

Blood had glued her tattered heels to her skin, and even with a wet washcloth to loosen it, the trickles of blood said she was reopening wounds. Cindy tried to be gentle, but Lunafreya whimpered a few times as she cleaned and bandaged it as best she could. “Guessin’ you’ll say no to an escort too, huh?” That would definitely push things too far with Cid—she had a job, couldn’t go running off on a roadtrip. But once she said it, it was hard not to think about, making sure Lunafreya got somewhere safe. The two of them in her truck, the radio on, the roads of Lucis stretching out in front of them....

“Cindy, no, I couldn’t possibly make you a target. If I’m lucky, I should reach safety soon, so a little more walking won’t kill me.”

“Thinkin’ you won’t be able to fit in these when you’re all wrapped up, though,” Cindy said, lifting one heel. “And they’re probably not long for this world, sad to say.” It was a pity, too. Not her style, since wearing anything open-toed was begging to get a wrench dropped on her foot, but they must have looked cute under all that damage. But if she was going to keep walking across Lucis on foot, they’d destroy her and fall apart soon after.

“Between these and walking barefoot, I think I’ll take the lesser evil,” Lunafreya said, but there was a little furrow on her forehead, like she was already imagining how much it’d hurt.

“Naw, I couldn’t let you do that! I have some old sneakers you could try, or I could go see if the vendor’s sellin’ any shoes today. Uh, tonight.”

She passed Cid on her way upstairs, shaking out an old quilt over the pile of blankets and pillows he had already piled on the couch. He was grumbling under his breath, but something in his eyes made her think he wasn’t angry, or even that annoyed.

When she came back with a pair of beat-up sneakers, originally white but now more gray than anything, Lunafreya had dropped her head into her hands. Was she actually crying? Her shoulders were shaking, but it didn’t _sound_ like crying, no snorting or weird breathing. Her eyes were reddened and damp when she pulled her hands away, but there weren’t any tear tracks.

“There has to be some way I can repay all you’ve done for me,” Lunafreya said. “I don’t have much, but I can’t let myself take and take and take without anything in return. If there’s anyone in this area that needs to be healed, please, let me know. And...”

Her hands reached up around the back of her neck, and she started fiddling with the clasp of her necklace. Cindy had seen Lunafreya wearing it in every photo she’d seen of her. It was such a delicate, simple thing, no big fancy jewels or nothing. As Lunafreya slipped it from her neck and held it out, Cindy’s heart ached. Even in the really old photos of the last Oracle, there’d been little girl Lunafreya wearing that necklace. And now she was offering it to Cindy.

“I couldn’t,” Cindy said. She could see it more clearly now that it was dangling from Lunafreya’s hand, shoved out towards her. She had never seen anything so fine before. The chain was almost thin as thread, but it must have been strong to survive through everything she had. Two little stars and a moon charm dangled from it, shining in the fluorescent lights.

When she took the necklace from her, Lunafreya looked relieved for five seconds before Cindy stepped closer. With her standing and Lunafreya still sitting, she could easily see over her head and down at the clasp behind her as she looped it around her neck again. Her hands had never felt so clumsy before, but finally the clasp shut, putting it back where it belonged.

“You hold onto that, Your Highness. It’ll look better on you anyway; I’m not a big jewelry girl. If... if things get real bad for you out there, you can prob’ly sell it to someone for some gil, so save it for that. Hope not, but there’s only so much a hope’s gonna do.”

And now she really _was_ crying, still quiet but with big fat tears rolling down her cheeks. “You’re... you’re far too kind, Cindy...” She couldn’t say more after that when Cindy leaned back into her space, pulling her into a hug. When was the last time anybody had hugged this poor girl? She could feel her sweatshirt getting wet with tears, Lunafreya’s face pressed up against her chest.

“There has to be something, some way I can pay you,” Lunafreya mumbled into her shirt. Cindy made sure to give her a good long squeeze before she let go to answer.

“If you _insist...”_ Cindy tapped her chin, and Lunafreya leaned forward, looking ready to agree to just about anything that could come out of her mouth. “When all this blows over, how ‘bout you come to back to Hammerhead and visit. In disguise if you have to. And I’ll teach you how to drive.”

“That sounds suspiciously like more unpaid charity,” she countered, but she was smiling now, a little bit.

“Naw, not at all! I’ll get a sweetheart visitor, and a chance to get you behind a real nice set of wheels someday. But we can’t get you a car fit for a princess ‘til we know you won’t total it, so you need some lessons in an old clunker first.”

She looked sad in a tired, hopeless way for a few seconds, and Cindy hoped that was only because she wanted it so bad it hurt. “It would be lovely, if I could.”

As she sat on the floor in front of Lunfreya, to fix up the scrapes on her knees and try not to think about how pretty her legs were, Cindy settled into the comforting safety of car talk. It always cheered _her_ up, so maybe it’d work on Lunafreya too? “What would you pick, if you could have any car at all? I’d give you a discount for doin’ work on it.” Her knees weren’t all that bad, not much worse than a kid tumbling off their bike, but Cindy cleaned them anyway, to be sure.

“Work like what?”

“Oh, mostly prettyin’ it up. Decals, paint jobs. Custom lights. A little somethin’ somethin’ if you wanna go real fast.” She dared to wink at that, and Lunafreya sputter-laughed.

“Do you take me for some.... some kind of speedster, Cindy? Goodness. How do you know I wouldn’t obey proper speed limits?”

“You seem like a lady who’d like to feel the wind in her hair, that’s all I’ll say. You’d be at home in a convertible. Somethin’ elegant.”

“Painted sapphire blue,” Lunafreya said, a little dreamily. “I don’t know much else about cars, but that would be lovely. The top down, sun on my face...”

“Not white?” Cindy squinted at her right ankle, couldn’t decide if it looked swollen or not, and decided to get her an ice pack soon.

“It can be nice, but constantly? Do keep this a secret, but sometimes I tire of only white. Right now, it’s showing all the blood and dirt, which doesn’t help at all.”

“Your secret’s safe with me!” After that, it was cleaning the grit out of her palms and bandaging them up. The parts of her hands that weren’t banged up had the softest skin she had ever felt. “A car as pretty as the princess in it. Nothing less.”

“Now...” She stood, surveying Lunafreya with her hands on her hips. All that dirt on white really didn’t do her any favors. “We’re gonna need to get your clothes sorted. You could borrow something—” Already, she was hit with a stream of polite _oh no I couldn’t, this is fine_. “—or we could try to clean that up, if you’re deadset on roadtrippin’ in a dress.”

“There’s no need for either,” Lunafreya said, but she winced when she looked down at herself. “Well.... Maybe cleaning it wouldn’t be so bad.”

“You can borrow something of mine ‘til it’s done. We don’t gotta dryer, but if I hang it up, it’ll be ready in the morning.”

Once Lunafreya had slipped into one of Cindy’s oversized t-shirts (loudly proclaiming Moogle Chocobo Carnival M.E. 743, which she hadn’t actually gone to, since she had found the shirt at a secondhand shop) and some sweats, Cindy gingerly took the dress like it might fall apart if she touched it wrong. A quick look confirmed that it didn’t have any convenient tags telling her how to properly wash it. With her luck, it was dry-clean only, purely a city idea.

But they had a washer that kept chugging along after twenty years of repairs and hoping, and she knew how to get blood out of clothes, so that’d have to be good enough. Lunafreya hemmed and hawed about how Cindy didn’t have to, though she would appreciate it very much, and soon the washer was rumbling away, hopefully not shredding it to pieces.

“Now, I know you said no borrowing clothes, but I’m gonna give you a hat anyway, maybe a jacket. You’re gonna burn to a crisp otherwise.” She already looked pink on her face and shoulders, and much more would get her really hurting.

It seemed like Cindy’s endless waves of charity were wearing her down, because she nodded after some consideration. “It would be helpful to have some sort of camouflage on the way... I can’t thank you enough.” It seemed like she was going to say more, before she yawned so wide Cindy could hear her jaw pop. “Goodness, that was rude, I’m sorry—”

“Aww, hush, ain’t rude at all. If you’re tired, you’re tired, and it’s pretty damn late too.” With a hand on Luna’s shoulder, she steered her towards the couch. “Is this okay? You could take my bed.”

“Noooo,” Lunafreya mumbled, sitting down heavily. “I couldn’t. This is perfectly fine, I promise.”

“Sleep good, okay, Lady Lunafreya?” She stepped back, hoping that the lumps in their couch would be kinder to the oracle than they’d ever been to her. Least she wouldn’t be cold, not with all the blankets Cid had piled on.

There was a long silence, and she kind of wondered if Lunafreya had fallen asleep still sitting up. “You could call me Luna, without any titles, as my few friends do. If you wanted to, anyway.”

She was smiling so big that Lunafreya— _Luna_ —looked stunned at it, before she was smiling too. “Course I will!” With that, seemed like Luna had nothing more to say, squirming and arranging blankets around her. Nearly before Cindy shut the lamp off, she was out, cheek pressed into a pillow, mouth open a little.

Cindy had always been a light sleeper, and the excitement didn’t help, plus she had to finish up the radio she’d nearly forgotten. She was up with dawn, already anticipating trying to cook breakfast and seeing if she could push any supplies into Luna’s hands before she headed off. Nothing too heavy, but a map, some sunscreen, definitely water. She was getting into her work outfit, still fitting her curls under her cap, when she heard the barking.

Well, one bark. Sounded almost polite for a dog, like honking the horn one time to let someone know you were waiting outside their house. By the time she headed downstairs, she found the front door swinging open and Luna gone. Cindy had a little moment to panic, but her dress was still hanging up, and there was a half empty water glass on the table, so it wasn’t all that shocking to find her right outside.

Luna was sitting on the concrete, her arms thrown around the neck of a fluffy black dog. There was a white one sitting patiently beside them, probably waiting for its turn for hugs.

“Oh! Cindy, good morning. I hope they didn’t wake you.” She looked up from where she had buried her face in the dog’s fur.

“Nah, I’m an early bird at heart. What’re their names? Can I pet ‘em?” At Luna’s nod, she slipped off a glove so she could stroke the white dog. “Ain’t you a pretty thing, yes you are...”

“This is Umbra,” Luna said, scratching behind the black dog’s ear. “And that is Pryna. They’ve been with me since I was a young girl.”

“Can’t believe they found you all the way out here,” Cindy said. Maybe royalty could train animals to track that far? Seemed impossible, but there they were.

“They have a way of finding their goal,” Luna said softly. She untied a tiny journal tucked into Umbra’s collar and jotted something down with the pen tucked between its pages. “Especially Umbra. He’ll bring this message to Noctis, to let him know I’m well. I’m sure he’s worried...”

“Gotta know the wedding’s still on, right?” It didn’t come off as cheerful as she hoped. Could they still get married with the Empire searching for both of them? Once the journal was secure and the dog petted a bit more, Umbra trotted off into the countryside, a black dot that soon faded out of sight. Seemed like Pryna was staying with Luna, which would be a little protection against the daytime varmints.

Luna stood, brushing herself off and finally getting a proper look at Cindy. Cindy in her work clothes, which always took people by surprise. Luna’s eyes scanned over her, blushing so bright she looked properly sunburned. Was it just her, or did Luna stare at her tits a little longer than normal? Maybe it was a little mean to start standing with them thrust out more, but she wasn’t married yet! And with the way Prince Noctis looked at her, it was only fair that Luna could too.

“Think ya can stay long enough for breakfast? I can make a mean pancake.”

“Oh! Oh, yes, that’d be lovely.” She finally remembered to look Cindy in the face, and it was cute as kittens, seeing her so shy. “I don’t think your grandfather would like dog fur left everywhere, so I’ll wait out here, if that’s alright with you.”

By the time she came out with a stack of pancakes, Cid had already opened the garage, and Luna was sitting in the shade, petting Pryna. Her pancakes weren’t good enough to be from a diner or anything, but Luna praised them like they were _cuisine_ , setting aside a smaller pile that she fed to the dog, without syrup or butter.

There was only so much stalling they could do, after that. Once she had returned Cindy’s clothing (the dress torn up but now blood-stain-free) and taken all the supplies Cindy threw at her with only a little polite hesitation, the only thing left to do was to go.

“I’m sorry I have to leave so abruptly, but...” She awkwardly put on the borrowed backpack, like she’d never used one before.

“No buts! Ya got people to heal, princes to marry, all that. I’m not gonna keep ya from it.”

“Your kindness gives me hope for Lucis,” Luna said, threading her ponytail through the back of her borrowed hat. “As long as there are people as brave and generous as you, no matter what happens, the world will carry on.”

She had to wonder if that was really true. Insomnia blown up, the Empire making a mess of things with those metal soldiers... Things were changing for the worse, and Cindy didn’t know how it’d all pan out. Still, she was playing her part, right? Not just helping Prince Noctis and Luna, either—if she did her best with every car that came her way, that was one less car that could break down and leave its driver stranded past sundown, surrounded by daemons.

Luna pulled her in for a long, squeezing hug, ending it with a kiss to the cheek. Blushing again, she began to walk, Pryna at her side. Cindy watched until she was a tiny blur of white, and then gone.

**Author's Note:**

> Cindy is so wonderful, okay. Hope I did okay on her voice, let me know!


End file.
